Feed-water regulator and low-water alarm.



Patented Apr. 2, I901.

i A No. 671,323. A c. L. MILD.

FEED WATER REGULATOR AND LOW WATER ALARM.

(Application filed. May 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

4011724243423 A In ventor.

CHARLES L. MILD, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR AND LOW-WATER ALARM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 671,323, dated April 2,1901. Application filed May 24,1900. Serial No. 17,878. are model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES L. MILD, acitizen of the United States,residing at Hamilton, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-WVater Regulatorsand Low-Water Alarms, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of feedwater regulators and low-wateralarms for boilers in which an exterior thermostat arranged at or aboutthe normal water-line upon the exterior of the side of the boiler andata slight angle tothe'said water-line by its eX- pansion andcontraction controlled by the height of the water in the boiler operatesa valve, admitting steam to the feed water pump of the boiler and at thesame time, should the water become dangerously low by reason of thefailure of the pump to work from any cause, operates an alarm, such as awhistle or bell, to give notice to the attendant of the failure of thepumpto do its duty; and it has for its object the provision of simpleand effi' cient means for accomplishing these results.

The novelty of my invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth,and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of aboiler and a feed-pump, showing the application of my invention thereto.Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly broken, of the thermostatand alarm embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, partlybroken, looking to the right of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of amodification of the alarm mechanism.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inall the figures.

The thermostat mechanism is substantially that of prior patent, No.495,302, issued'April 11, 1893, to Emory M. Carr, and in describing itit is only necessary to say A represents a boiler of the usual or anysuitable construction, having the usual steam-dome B, from which apipe 1) leads to one end of a copper or other suitable pipeO, placed ona slight angle on the outside of the boiler-casing and at about thenormal water-line, as shown in Fig. 1, and is made so as to be capableof expansion when subjected to heat or of contraction when the heat isreduced. The opposite end of this pipe 0 has a pipe connection a withthe boiler near its bottom, while the forward end of the pipe 0, at d,has a crosshead D, Fig. 2, rigidly attached thereto and to which isattached, below the pipe 0, a rod 6, which extends rearwardly andparallel with the pipe 0 and is pivoted at its rear end to a lever E,fulcrumed at its middle to the rear end of the pipe 0 or to a headpiecethereon. The opposite or upper end of the lever E is pivoted to asimilar rod f, which extends forward and parallel to the first-mentionedrod 6 and which is connected on its forward end to the operating-stem ofa valve in a casing F, Fig. 2, which valveis located in a stearn pipe G,which extends from the steam-dome of the boiler to the feed-water pumpH, Fig. 1, which may be of the usual or any suitable construction. Thecasing F of this valve is fastened on the cross-head D by a pair ofrearwardly-extending rods 9 g, one above and the other below the rod fand connected together at their rear ends by a second cross-head h.

A coiled spring t surrounds the rod f and has its rear end bearingagainst the forward side of the cross-head hand its forward end bearingagainst the rearward end of a collar j, fast on the rod It will be seenfrom the foregoing description that any expansion in the pipe 0 in alineal direction produces twice the amount of movement in the rod f andalso that the spring t' is constantly tending to close the valve in thecasing F.

Fast on the rod f, between the cross-head h and the valve F, is an armI, bent upwardly and forwardly and having its forward end bent towardthe boiler. Secured on the pipe G, between the boiler and the valve inthe casing F, Fig. 3, is a whistle J, having its valve-stein la in linewith the movement of the arm I, so that when the arm I has traveled agiven distance its bent end comes in contact with the valve-stem of thewhistle, thereby opening the valve of the same and causing the whistleto sound.

The operation of my device is as follows: When the water inthe boilerbegins to lower beneath its normal level, it at the same time begins todrain the pipe 0, which admits live steam thereto at its rear end,thereby heating the pipe 0 and causing it to expand in a linealdirection, which produces movement in the lever E, which has its lowerend held from lineal movement by the rod 6, and which consequently movesthe rodf twice the distance of the expansion in the pipe 0, therebyopening the valve in the casing F and cansing more steam to be admittedto the feedpump H. If, however, the feed-pump refuses to perform itsduty by becoming clogged or from any other cause and the water in theboiler continues to descend, the pipe 0 willcontinue to expand as moresteam is admitted to it until the arm I comes in contact with thewhistle-valve stem, when the whistle will be sounded, thereby announcingto the attendant that the water in the boiler has reached thedanger-line.

While I prefer the use of a whistle sounded from the boiler as thesimplest and surest means of producing the alarm,yet it is evident thatother audible alarms may be employed, and in Fig. 41 have illustratedone where the arm I is brought into contact with a closedcircuit-batterywire a, in which is placed an electric bell 1), having a wire 0extending to the battery (1 on one side, and from which a wire 6 on theopposite side extends to the arm I, so that when the arm I is brought incontact with the wire a, the circuit Will be established and the bellwill be rung to attract the attention of the attendant.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. A feed-waterregulator and low-Water alarm comprising an expansion and contractionpipe arranged alongside a boiler in an in- 'clined position and at orabout the normal water-line thereof, the lower end of said pipe beingconnected with the water-space of the boiler and the upper end with thesteam-space thereof, a lever pivoted between its ends on the upper freeend of the said pipe and having one end connected to a fixed point andits opposite end pivoted to a rod connected to the stem of a valve in apipe leading from the steam-space of the boiler to a feed-pum ptherefor, a spring normally tending to close said valve, an audiblealarm to be set in action by a contact located near said last-namedpipe, and an arm carried by the valve-stem to effect such contact whenthe water in the boiler reaches a dangerously low level and the pumpfails to do its duty, substantially as described.

2. A feed-water regulator and low-water alarm comprising an expansionand contraction pipe arranged alongside a boiler in an inclined positionand at or about the normal water-line thereof, the lower end of saidpipe being connected with the water-space of the boiler and the upperend with the steam-space thereof, a lever pivoted between its ends onthe upper free end of said pipe and having one end connected to a fixedpoint and its opposite end pivoted to a rod connected to the stem of avalve in a pipe leading from the steam -space of the boiler to afeed-pump therefor, a spring normally tending to close said valve, asteam-whistle to be set in action by a valve-stem located near saidlast-named pipe, and an arm carried by the valve-stem to operate thewhistle-valve stem when the water in the boiler reaches a dangerouslylow level and the pump fails to do its duty, substantially as described.

OHARLES'L. MILD. Witnesses:

EDWARD PECK, LEWIS E. MIRICK.

